My Tech Stack as a Travel Vlogger – More Than Just a Camera
In this article, I want to speak about my travel vlog camera, but also about the other tech I use. On the one hand, I hope this helps other travel vloggers out there to make better decisions. On the other hand, I am also keen to hear feedback and suggestions for improvement. Thus, feel free to leave a comment or share this article with other people.
In case you want to know “Why You Should Become a Travel Vlogger“, follow the link. Here, we I just speak about what kind of tech you need to start a travel vlog,
Originally, I started with just my phone, a Xiaomi 11T Pro, which I bought back in Germany before moving to Taiwan. In 2022, the price was around 300 Euros, approximately 10,630 New Taiwan Dollars, or 330 USD. I did not have a real camera for quite a while. Also, note that I always use the exchange rate from the time I purchased the items, it may vary throughout this article.
Most Important Device for a Travel Vlog – the Camera
However, I did buy a Lavalier microphone in 2022. After looking at several reviews, I chose the Hollyland Lark M1, which was around 130 Euros at the time. The mic and my phone as a camera were my starter set in terms of hardware for my travel vlog and most of the Kinmen Travel Tales have been produced with this equipment. I did not use a selfie stick but bought a cheap tripod, I think it was around 10-15 Euros.
My phone is still the backbone of my videos, but I have to buy a new one at some point. However, in November 2023, I also got my hands on a Brave 8 by Akaso, a cheap action camera. I have a love-hate relationship with this device.
An Action Cam makes your life easier
The great thing is its price and the fact that it pushed my travel vlog to the next level, but you can feel the lack of quality in this camera. And still, it provides incredible value; it was about 7,000 NTD, which is roughly 215 USD. I also bought a cheap desktop microphone for around 30 Euros (no name brand), that I use for my voice-over.
However, the camera quickly overheats and performs poorly in darker areas, and the stabilization only works in combination with the Akaso app on my phone. Do not even try to migrate more than 10 videos through the app because the camera will overheat and shut down. The Akasao Brave 8 is not really a threat to a GoPro, but it is just so affordable.
Am I happy with this camera? Yes, because it offers unbeatable value for the budget, but if you want to become a professional YouTuber and get paid, it may not be for you. I learned to live with the flaws, for example, me crossing the Kinmen Bridge is a one-shot video with this camera.
Software Stack for My Travel Vlog
The most essential piece in my tech stack is the editing software. I am using the free version of DaVinci Resolve by Blackmagic Design. Maybe one day I will buy the studio version, but even the free version has so many great features that make this software crucial for me, especially if you consider that the great software allows me to mitigate the issues caused by my cheap camera.
For thumbnails and all the artwork you see on my website and the Traveling Kunz YouTube channel, I use the free version of Canva. So, yes, I use it a lot. I do all the artwork myself, including the logo of my channel. It is not super professional, but I try to be consistent.
I do not use any SEO tools because I just produce videos about locations I would travel to anyway. If you aim to get paid as a travel vlogger, this is the wrong approach, let me be clear. You should definitely check the right keywords and optimize your content for your audience. If you aim to earn a salary. I am not following this approach, of course.
For me, not focusing on getting a salary does not mean that I do not care about quality. I use ChatGPT to proofread scripts and subtitles, for example. I do not use AI tools for voice-over – I tried, but my real voice just sounds more natural (probably not better, but more natural, for sure).
Best Computer Hardware For Travel Vloggers
The heading is a bit misleading because I never buy the best, my budget is simply too tight. Since I am not doing this for money, I focus on buying equipment with the best value. Initially, I used an HP Elitebook 840 laptop to edit my videos, which I bought second-hand in 2022 for 100 Euros. It sounds weak, but I managed to edit videos in 1K after tweaking DaVinci Resolve a bit.
However, in 2024, I aimed to produce videos in 4K and 60 FPS, so I had to invest in a “new” PC. I spent 550 USD (15,000 NTD) on a second-hand PC in Taiwan. This is the budget option, it has next to no mobility. Something that became an issue, read about my limitations in my article “How I Became a Travel Vlogger in Japan“.
PC Specs for my Travel Vlog
- CPU: 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12400
- Motherboard: MSI B660M
- Graphics Card: MSI GeForce RTX™ 3060 VENTUS 2X 12G OC
- Memory: DDR4 3200 32GB
- Storage: 1TB M.2 SSD, 1TB HDD
It runs on Windows 11, and so far, everything is working well. I bought two second-hand screens for 60 USD (2,200 NTD) and a cheap 1-bay storage server plus a second-hand 4 TB hard drive. The storage server was very cheap – 1,800 NTD (55 USD) on MOMO, and I assume this was a glitch in their online shop. Note that you need some kind of storage solution once you start shooting in 4K and 60 FPS – it is a lot of data.
Gimbal for Stabilized round views in Travel Videos
I should also mention that I bought a gimbal, a DJI Osmo Mobile SE, which I really like and use a lot. However, I may have used it too much, as it does not balance evenly anymore, but I can handle the flaws with my editing software. Unfortunately, I do not remember the exact budget for the gimbal.
Other Things That Helped Me as a Travel Vlogger
Before wrapping up this blog post, I want to point out that my website is hosted at Hostinger and built with WordPress. It costs me 3 USD per month, and I built it myself. It is pretty basic, but I can run this blog and share deeper insights into Kinmen and Traveling in Taiwan.
I frequently use Reddit and Facebook to ask for help and share my content. Both can be great sources of advice, but sometimes you should take comments with a grain of salt. I also read a lot of reviews and watch tutorials on YouTube.
Famous last words: Of course, I would prefer a new MacBook Pro, an iPhone, and the latest GoPro, but these things do not fit into my budget. However, I think you can still be a great amateur travel vlogger with more modest equipment. Thus, I hope this article helps you.
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